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Jaguars players talk about Monroe trade

Coach Gus Bradley called several veteran offensive players Tuesday night to let them know about the pending trade of left tackle Eugene Monroe to Baltimore for fourth- and fifth-round picks in 2014.

Right guard Uche Nwaneri, center Brad Meester, running back Maurice Jones-Drew and quarterback Blaine Gabbert all talked to Bradley on the phone.

“He wanted to make sure the linemen were made aware of it because it hit the news wire,” Nwaneri said. “It was very surprising, but being in the league as long as I have, I understand.”

A collection of comments from players:

Defensive lineman Jeremy Mincey: “Being a vet, it makes me understand the situation and the circumstance. It’s one of those things. He’s a guy that will definitely be missed but that’s the nature of this business.”

Receiver Cecil Shorts: “It’s disappointing because Eugene is a friend and a good guy – I’ve grown closer to him through my three years here. But that’s part of the business … that’s something we can’t even worry about because that’s out of our control. That’s up-top [in the front office] and that’s what they did and we have to deal with it.”

Linebacker Paul Posluszny: “We viewed him as one of our best players so it’s hard for us because you don’t want to see a guy like that go. But we all know that things like can happen in our business.”

Tight end Marcedes Lewis: “It [stinks] to see him go, but in the NFL, you see some of the crazier things happen. The most important thing is he’s good and his family is OK.”

Nwaneri: “They wanted to give Luke [Joeckel] an opportunity at left tackle now because he’s going to be there awhile and they wanted him to get into it and be comfortable in it and play at the spot he was drafted to play at. That’s not a knock on Eugene in any way.”

Around 12:45 p.m., Monroe appeared in the Jaguars locker room and said his good-byes to several teammates.